We've learnt a lot from him
by Massive HTTYD Fan
Summary: Hiccup finds Viggo alive after HTTYD 2. Three-shot, not an AU.
1. Chapter 1

"Think we should turn back now, bud?" Hiccup asked, patting his dragon's black head. Toothless rumbled in agreement and started turning around, his rider instinctively making the necessary adjustments to his tailfin.

The two friends were enjoying a long, relaxing flight, which had been few and far between since Stoick's death two months previous. Hiccup had been extremely busy with his duties as Chief, and only because Astrid and Gobber had taken over for the day could he go on his joyride with Toothless.

"What's that down there? It looks like... a campfire?" There was a blackened patch of ground on the small island they were passing, but no fire.

"Let's go down and see, Toothless," He decided.

As they got closer to the island, Hiccup could see the remains of a campfire in front of what looked like a cave, but as far as he could there was nobody nearby. Hiccup jumped off and walked cautiously, Inferno in hand, towards the opening of the cave. As he rounded a corner, something jumped into his path; it looked like a Skrill. Toothless snarled, getting into a defensive position.

"Easy there, bud," Hiccup said quietly, putting his free hand out to stop him. He put Inferno down and held his hand out to the Skrill, talking soothingly to pacify it. The dragon slowly rested its forehead on his palm, its horn touching his fingers. Looking at the Skrill, he could see something on its back.

"Is that a saddle?" He asked, his eyes narrowing. He scrutinized the dragon carefully, its markings looking familiar to him.

"Viggo?" He gasped, recognizing the Skrill as the dragon who had helped Viggo and him to infiltrate Johann's base, where Viggo had died while helping Hiccup escape. Or so he had thought... until now.

"Viggo? Are you in there?" Hiccup called, realizing that the former Dragon Hunter would probably be further in the cave that was most likely his home.

"Hiccup. As perceptive as ever, I see," Viggo's voice, so familiar and yet startling, filled the cave, as the man Hiccup had thought long gone came into view.

"You're alive?" Hiccup asked, still startled that his former nemesis was alive.

"I think what you really mean is, 'How are you alive'? Viggo asked, with a slight smile. "I expect you would like to know the whole story. Why don't you come in here? I have a reasonably comfortable home in here, with Lynnedslag."

"Is Lynnedslag the Skrill?" Hiccup questioned, as they walked further inside Viggo's cave. The 'room' he obviously lived in had a makeshift wooden bed with furs piled on it and a single rough chair. There was also a flat rock similar to the one that Toothless slept on back in Berk.

"Yes, I named him that he took me straight through a lightning storm" Viggo replied, gesturing for Hiccup to take a seat on the chair, while he sat down on the bed.

"I owe him my life, you see. After you left Johann's base, he fought off the Hunters and let me ride him. I passed out while we were in the air, but I think that he flew me to an island that was friendly to both dragons and humans."

Hiccup could see that Viggo was struggling with his obviously uncomfortable memories of the time.

"Are you alright, Viggo?" he questioned, feeling slightly concerned.

"Yes, of course, Hiccup," Viggo looked as if he had been startled out of a trance. "I just don't like to think of this much, that's all."

"Well the arrows you saw had, luckily for me, not pierced anything vital, so the natives of the island were able to heal my wounds partially. From what they told me, they healed Lynnedslag too." He continued.

"And did you make the saddle? It's quite ingenious, really." Hiccup looked at the saddle, which had a sheath that he thought was for the firesword Viggo had made. "By the way, I added your Zippleback gas feature to Inferno, about a week after you 'died'."

"I'm flattered. Yes, I did make the saddle, or rather I showed the design to a blacksmith who made it for me. It was quite easy after studying your saddles."

"So, after I was recovered enough from my wounds, Lynnedslag and I left that island to get in touch with the rest of the world. I found out at the Northern Markets what happened to Johann and Krogan, and I heard about your fight with Drago. I was sorry to hear about your loss, Hiccup."

"Thank you, Viggo. We're still recovering from Dad's death, but it helps that we found my mother at the same time."

"I didn't know that, I thought she died some years ago in a dragon raid?" Viggo asked, slightly puzzled.

"I thought you died a few months ago," Hiccup retorted.

"Touché" Viggo acknowledged, slightly embarrassed.

"It turned out that the dragon that carried her off took her to his nest, where she lived for 18 years. We found her at the King of Dragon's nest, the same day Dad died." Hiccup explained.

"By the way, how is it I never heard about you being alive? I would expect that someone who saw you might mention it to me, especially if you were at the Northern Markets asking about me."

"I asked a few Dragon Hunters who owed me their lives. They promised not to tell anyone. Even though Johann and Krogan were both dead, there were other Hunters and Fliers who would give a lot to see me dead."

"Actually, Krogan may not have been dead then. The mysterious buyer you spoke of turned out to be Drago Bludvist, who had Krogan executed after his failure to secure the King of Dragons. We have one of Drago's men who is now a Rider, so we know a lot more about Drago's methods than we would have otherwise."

"So many people who were meant to be dead and turned out to be... not. You haven't by any chance seen Ryker recently, have you?" Viggo asked.

"No, actually, I haven't. How about Johann's son?"

"I didn't realize he had a son." The former hunter looked rather surprised at Hiccup's question.

"Well, I didn't realize Dagur had a sister, even though I knew him since I was about 4 years old." Hiccup retorted. "But no, I don't think Johann had a son."

"You have a point. How are Dagur and Heather, by the way?"

"About the same, really. Dagur married Mala, so now he's the King of Defenders of the Wing Island. Heather is Chieftess of Berserk, and she goes by Heather the Unhinged now, even though she isn't. Dagur would probably never forgive her if she, well, went Berserk."

"And your 'Greek Chorus', as Dagur persisted in calling them?"

"You know that it isn't really possible to describe them," Hiccup protested.  
"But here goes. Snotlout is currently trying to woo Heather, and failing tremendously. He will also probably be my second-in-command when he's older, so his father is training him for that. The twins have picked up where they left off 3 years ago as pranksters devoted to Loki. I _did_ try to give them something to keep them busy but they thwart all efforts to turn them into law-abiding citizens. Fishlegs also picked up from before the Edge, although he is also part of the Village Council now. And Astrid is part of the Berk Guard and senior Dragon Trainer."

"And your Betrothed, I presume?" Viggo asked slyly.

"Um, well, yes, but we don't plan to marry anytime soon, even though the rest of Berk are continually telling me it's my duty to provide a heir. But she is unofficially my second-in-command, and she's covering for me today, and… Oh Thor I'm going to be horribly late to get back to Berk."

"Oh, I'm sorry Hiccup, I didn't mean to delay you. Why don't you start back now?" Viggo's calmness made Hiccup able to think more clearly.

"Oh no, it was my fault really, I should have been looking out for the time. Why don't you come back with me? If Lynnedslag is anything like Toothless, I'm sure he would appreciate the flight."

"I'd like to, Hiccup, but I'm not sure the rest of Berk would appreciate my coming there. I don't think I'm the most popular person there." Viggo said regretfully.

"Then fly with me part of the way. For one thing, I'd like to see how well a Skrill can fly when it isn't trying to kill either Toothless or me."

"I think you'd be surprised. I definitely was when we first started flying together. I would even go so far as to say he could beat a Nadder in a race- when it's eating chicken." Viggo and Hiccup were already nearing the opening of the cave and mounting their dragons.

"How do you know about the chicken thing? I don't remember seeing that on any of the Dragon Eye lenses." Hiccup questioned.

"Johann knew about it somehow, and I tested it out. He probably learned it from Astrid, or even you."

"Makes sense." Hiccup nodded. "Alright, show me these moves of yours."

"You're on!"

In the air, Hiccup and Viggo showed off unashamedly in front of each other, each trying to top each other's latest manoeuvre. Despite Hiccup having ridden for much longer, Viggo had obviously formed a close bond with the Skrill and was able to communicate his ideas to Lynnedslag instantly. It struck Hiccup that he had never seen Viggo this relaxed before

"You're really quite good at this, Viggo." Hiccup admitted when they started flying straight and level towards Berk.

"You sound surprised," Viggo observed teasingly.

"I am rather. You've been riding for only about a couple of months, and you only had yourself to practice with." Hiccup retorted.

"But I watched your manoeuvres for quite some time, and I have flown with both Krogan and you before."

"Actually, both Krogan and I fly in different ways to you. Krogan forced his Singetail, and I have the tailfin to control."

"I flew on Astrid's Nadder a few times, too. Stormfly, wasn't it?"

Hiccup stiffened slightly.  
"Yes, you did, didn't you?" He said, somewhat bitterly.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup. It was the only way I could think of. But I suffered for it too, you know." He reached his hand up to his scarred left cheek, just below his sightless white eye.

"I know, it's just... I said the nightmare was over, but it was just beginning. You asked me if I could 'imagine the pain of betrayal' when we last met. There was no need for imagination. Ten minutes after telling me, and I quote, 'My respect for you is beyond what I could possibly put into words', you tell me to choose between Astrid and the Dragon Eye? The future of the dragons over my future? Do you have any idea what that did to me?"

"I really am sorry, Hiccup. If I could go back and do differently, I would. Please forgive me, Hiccup."

"It's alright. It was war then, and they say that all's fair in love and war."

They flew in silence for about an hour, occasionally speeding up or doing aerobatics to relieve the monotony of the flight.

"What happened to the Edge after you left it? I would have thought the volcano might have buried it." Viggo asked suddenly.

"I don't think so. We covered up a few of the holes with Gronckle Iron and Deathsong Amber, and Mala's Eruptodon sometimes goes over there for a meal, I think. Why? Did you think of going there?"

"The thought did cross my mind, yes. The dragons there might be able to use my help. I understand that a lot of them were hurt?"

"Yes, we rescued a lot of them and healed wing sprains and things like that."

"Do you think they would, well, recognize me?"

"If you can make them understand that you've changed, they will accept you, Viggo. It's like with Vikings."

"But would Vikings accept me? I've done so much against Berk. Would they forgive the Submaripper incident? The Fliers' attack on Stoick? Putting a price on your head? Hurting all of you?"

"The Riders probably would. You heard the twins and Snotlout talking about you during the Shellfire incident. Fishlegs doesn't hold grudges; if he thinks you're sorry, he would forgive you. Astrid knows you saved my life at, as she thinks, cost of your own. She would probably accept you for that, even after you threatened hers more than once. The rest of Berk would accept you if I asked them to; they wouldn't try to kill you, but some of them would be a bit unfriendly, I expect."

"That sounds like an understatement to me. Would they have accepted Johann if he had come and apologised?"

"Probably not, but that's different. He pretended to be our friend for years, since long before I was born. He tricked everyone on Berk, so they would think he was tricking them again. As, in fact, he probably would be. If you come with me now, you would see."

"Do you actually want me to come?" Viggo asked, sounding unsure.

"Yes. I owe you my life, Viggo. I thought I'd have to die before I would be able to thank you. If you are 6 hours of flight away, I'm very unlikely to see you again anytime soon."

"I owe you my life too, you know. If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have been able to train the Monstrous Nightmare that saved me."

"But if it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't have had to escape the cave-in base, would you?" Hiccup snarked back.

"There's no use playing what-if, Hiccup. You saved my life, I saved yours. We're even."

"Which means I can do… This!" Hiccup stood up on Toothless, grabbed Inferno, and jumped onto Lynnedslag, pushing Viggo off. Lynnedslag dived to catch Viggo, but Toothless swooped in and caught him first.

"Hiccup! Wh… What did you just do?" Viggo gasped, sitting on Toothless, who was gliding next to Lynnedslag.

"I swapped dragons with you." Hiccup shrugged, grinning. "Why, did you think I was trying to kill you or something?"

"I thought you must have spent too much time with Dagur," Viggo shot back. " _Yes_ , I thought you were trying to kill me."

They swapped dragons again, Viggo almost falling off Lynnedslag's back as he tried to get on in mid-air.

"Oh, but I'm too _pure_ to do that, aren't I? Too _innocent_? Not _ruthless_ enough?" Hiccup threw his words from months ago back at him.

"And one day, that's going to get you killed." Viggo quoted himself. "Definitely. But I'm sure you'll be glad to know that I don't plan on being the one who kills you."

"But isn't it those same qualities that have stopped me from getting me killed in the last five years? Turned so many enemies into friends? Toothless, Heather, Alvin, Dagur, Mala, Eret, all sorts of other dragons, and now you?" Hiccup shot his bolt and waited for Viggo's reaction.

"Fair point. On the other hand, it's what got Johann, Krogan, and Ryker killed." Viggo retorted.

"No, they got themselves killed. Johann was killed by the King of Dragons when he tried to steal the egg, Krogan got killed by his employer when he failed to capture the King, and _you_ dropped the dagger that stirred up the Submaripper that killed Ryker. It _was_ , unfortunately, my fault that Dad was killed. If I hadn't tried to reason with Drago I probably wouldn't have almost got hit by Toothless. No, bud, I know it wasn't your fault." His last remark addressed to Toothless, who had crooned apologetically.

"It wasn't your fault either, Hiccup. By your own logic, Drago was the one who ordered the other Bewilderbeast to force Toothless to kill you. It was his fault. You are not a killer, Hiccup. You will kill if that is what is necessary to protect those whom you love, but you are not a killer. It isn't who you are." Viggo turned to look at Hiccup while speaking, his eyes meeting Hiccup's as he saw the relief in them.

Hiccup looked down. "When I was being captured by all those bounty hunters, Krogan and I fell off a cliff. I managed to find a handhold on the side, and Krogan grabbed my metal leg. He told me to pull him up. His wait was dragging me down, and I was slipping. So I undid my prosthetic, and he fell into the sea. I… I thought I had killed him. And I wouldn't have survived even then if Ryker hadn't pulled me up. I dropped him for nothing. I don't know how he did survive, but it wasn't due to any effort on my part. Would someone who isn't a killer have done that?" He asked, a trifle bitterly.

"A killer wouldn't feel bad about it, Hiccup. A killer does not regret killing, even if it was the only option. And I'm sorry that I made that happen to you, Hiccup." Viggo apologised.

"Actually, it was only because of you that Ryker didn't kill me then and there. He said that you wanted to kill me yourself. Luckily for me, the other Riders and my Dad appeared before it got to that stage, but it would have been too late for me if you hadn't told him you wanted me alive." Hiccup explained.

"Why do you care?" Viggo asked suddenly.

"Why do I care about what?" Hiccup asked, puzzled.

"Why do you care whether _I_ think you are a killer? I'm the one who has tried to kill you so many times. Usually, people don't care what their would-be killers think of them. Why do _you_?" Viggo expanded on his question.

"You taught me a lot, Viggo. When I met you, I had never met an enemy who could outwit me. I was _the_ master strategist. I didn't think of myself as unbeatable, but I was overconfident. You outplayed me the first time we met. You were always a step ahead of me, usually more. Johann couldn't do that. Nor could Krogan. They preferred brute force methods than strategic attacks. Did you ever play a Maces and Talons game with Krogan?"

"You were quite the interesting opponent, I'll admit. Most people fought like Dagur- classic Viking methods. You, on the other hand, were much more unorthodox. To tell the truth, you caught up with me more than once; you just didn't exploit that advantage before I pulled ahead again. If you had more experience, you would probably have been able to even the scores more often. As it was, you did win the game. As for Krogan, he never played Maces and Talons. He believed killing pieces of marble was no use when you could just kill real people instead."

"Sounds like Snotlout." Hiccup put on a Snotlout-voice. "'Why read words when you can just kill the stuff the words tell you stuff about?' That was in Dragon Training when we were still at war with dragons." He said.

"And does he play Maces and Talons?" Viggo asked curiously.

"No, but he does watch when other people play if he's bored, though. You know, we should have a game someday. I'd like to see if you're as good as Maces and Talons when it's on a game board as you are when the pieces are real people."

"I'm not necessarily more skilled than you. I'm rather surprised Heather and Dagur never told you what I said the first time they met you. I told about my games with my grandfather when I was a boy. He always won, so I thought that he was better. There are two ways to be fooled, Hiccup. One is to believe what isn't true, and the other is to refuse to believe what is. I was a fool when I believed that my grandfather was more skilled than I. But what happened to 'What I am _not_ is your friend, your ally, or your Maces and Talons buddy'?" Viggo ribbed him.

"Well I think the first one was disproven today and the second one disproven when you helped me infiltrate Johann's base, and we definitely did _not_ just 'leave our personal lives out of this', so there's no reason for the last one not to be invalidated sometime soon." Hiccup retorted.

"You make a good point there. I did, however, lose my set when I 'died', so I haven't had much practice recently."

"I think I know just the set for you. It's life-size and made of solid gold, and all you need to do to get it is win a tournament. Any objections?"

"None at all. When can I collect it from Berk?" Viggo said, turning the tables neatly.

"Please don't ask them to deliver it to Berk if you win it. It would be a better idea to send it to Berserk instead, don't you think?"

"Maybe, but that would mean I couldn't see Toothless carrying a life-size and solid gold _Accomplice_. I mean, that would be your natural choice of piece to bring first, wouldn't it?" Viggo shot back.

"I rather think the _Traitor_ would be more accurate, don't you?" Hiccup pushed.

"I'm not dead yet, and I'm sure you know that the Traitor always dies?"

"Heather isn't dead either. But perhaps I should make sure you don't turn out to be the other exception that would disprove the rule?" Hiccup asked mock-threateningly, activating Inferno.

"Don't trouble yourself." Viggo unsheathed his own firesword and clanged it against Hiccup's.

"No trouble at all." Hiccup replied, pulling Toothless around so that he ended up slightly above and behind Viggo, placing Inferno so that Viggo could feel its heat at the back of his neck.

Lynnedslag went into a steep dive, and just as Toothless' faster diving speed almost crashed him into Lynnedslag, Viggo side-slipped and pulled above Hiccup so that he was in the same position Hiccup had just been.

"Nice move, Viggo." Hiccup approved as they moved back into wingtip-to-wingtip positions.

"All I did was ask Lynnedslag to get me behind you. He did all the work." Viggo admitted.

"Dad said I would be a dead man if I tried to separate the Dragon Fliers and their Singetails in my mind. He was wrong about that, but it applies to Riders and their dragons. Unless it's Snotlout and Hookfang, in which case they do it themselves." Hiccup shrugged.

They flew in silence for a little longer, with exception of a few remarks.

"You know, this reminds me of the first flight we took through the fog bank. Everyone was just repeating 'Into the Great Beyond. The Great Beyond. Yeah, the Great Beyond.' over and over again. We had started out much more enthusiastic, looking for both new dragons and Dagur."

"Has Dagur given up on his obsession about Skrills? He isn't going to dragon-nap Lynnedslag, is he?" Viggo asked, more to relieve the monotony than from any real anxiety.

"He's got his own dragon now. Two of them, in fact. Shattermaster his Gronckle, who is unable to fly now, and Sleuther the Triple Stryke, whom we rescued from the Dragon Fights. He's not going to try to separate a dragon from its rider, not unless he wants to start babbling because he was struck by lightning."

"Good to hear." Viggo said rather absently.

"You know, I didn't actually plan to kill you, that time I put a bounty on your head," He said after flying in silence for some time.

"You didn't? Ryker certainly thought you did." Hiccup stated in surprise.

"I couldn't trust him completely by then, and it was the only way I could ensure you got to me unharmed. I told him that I didn't want him to torture you so much that you were wishing for death by the time you got to me." Viggo explained.

"Of course. That would take all the fun out of it, wouldn't it?" Hiccup mumbled sarcastically.  
"But what _did_ you want to do with me, then?" He asked, puzzled.

"I wanted to put you out of action so that I could make a final attack on the Edge and Berk. Without you, the other Riders wouldn't be able to defeat me. I could probably make them sign the treaty I offered to you before the Defenders of the Wing episode." Viggo answered.

"But how would you put me out of action? I've always found a way to escape before, so it wasn't likely to change then. The only thing that would stop me would be losing my other leg or something else as drastic, which you just said you didn't want to do." Hiccup pointed out the gaping hole in Viggo's plan.

"Let me ask you a question. Would you have gone against the Viking Council laws if I invoked one of them against you?" Viggo asked instead of answering Hiccup's question directly.

"Unlikely. As Heir of Berk, I was expected to obey those laws even more than most people. But what law could you have used? I can't think of any that would stop me, except… Oh." He trailed off as he realised what Viggo was driving at.

"Exactly. It wouldn't have been permanent, just long enough. I would have revoked it after your friends had signed the treaty. That's why I wanted you unharmed." Viggo clarified.

"If that had happened, the others might have been _killed_." Hiccup realised. "And here I thought I would be the one who would have died if they hadn't rescued me from Ryker."

"Would you have preferred that? Assuming, of course, that my plan would have gone through."

"My certain death or their possible deaths, and the certain deaths of more dragons? That's a hard one. Add the fact that if I chose the first option, the second would probably happen anyway? I guess I'd go with your plan. It would be extremely humiliating, though." Hiccup grimaced.

"Life generally is. It can be painful, or humiliating, or both. Very rarely is it neither." Viggo said soberly.

"If Dagur had thought up your plan and used it, it would be firmly in the 'both' category, I think. So why wouldn't it be with you?" Hiccup asked.

"You'd got too much potential for me to destroy it. People with more strength in the head than the body are too rare. That's why I prefer to be on the same side as you than for us to be trying to kill each other. If we tried hard enough, we'd probably both succeed."

"Such words of wisdom!" Hiccup said with gentle sarcasm. "But you're right. You probably could have killed me more than once."

"And Toothless could have killed _me_ at least once." Viggo responded.

"Unless you were about to kill me, I don't think he would." Hiccup stated.

After some time, Hiccup spoke again. "We aren't far from Berk now. Race you there?"

"But I don't know where to go." Viggo argued.

"True. We should probably go to the Cove so that you aren't seen until I can explain things to Astrid and Mum." Hiccup decided.

"It's your call." Viggo shrugged.

Hiccup led the way to the Cove. Viggo landed there while Hiccup continued to the village, where he was met by an annoyed Astrid.

"You're late, _Chief_."

"So it's Chief, is it?" Hiccup snarked.

"Too right it is. Did anything go wrong?" Astrid asked, her annoyance giving way to concern.

"Not really, but I found a Skrill. It came back with me." Hiccup said.

Astrid crossed her arms. "Alright, out with it. What's so important about this Skrill?"

"Viggo's riding it." Hiccup said directly.

"He's _alive_?" She asked in surprise.

"Yep. I left him outside the village." He explained.

"Why am I even surprised? The man doesn't seem to know how to die." Astrid said in mock-exasperation.

"He would probably say the same thing about us. You don't mind him coming here, do you?" He almost pleaded.

"Hiccup, he tried to kill you!" She protested.

"He saved my life, Astrid. I thought you of all people would understand that! You were willing to forgive him when you thought he was dead. Why does that change because he's alive?" Hiccup argued.

"Alright, then. But I'm not sure the rest of the village will accept him." She warned.

"He knows that. As long as they aren't openly hostile, he'll be alright." He said.

"Do you want me to go to the Cove and bring him here?" Astrid offered.

"How do you even know he's there?" He asked.

"Because I know you and I know that that's where you would have left him." She said triumphantly. "Do you want me to go or not?"

"Yes, please. Just don't kill him, okay?" He asked.

* * *

 **This is my first fanfic here, so please excuse anything OOC about Hiccup. I know that 'Viggo lives' stories have been done before, and they usually are more exciting than simple Viggo-Hiccup dialogues, but I felt like I had to write this. I will try to get the other chapter out by the weekend. Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

Astrid found Viggo sitting in the Cove talking to his Skrill. As she landed cautiously, he stood up.

"Astrid."

"Viggo." She replied guardedly, scrutinizing him.

"Is Hiccup in the village?" Viggo asked after a long pause.

"Yes, he sent me to bring you back." She replied.

"I thought so. Are you planning to kill me?" He asked cautiously.

She put her axe against his neck. "Hiccup asked me not to. But if you try to harm him, or anyone else on Berk, I will kill you. Got it?"

"Y-yes." He answered, his voice somewhat muffled by the axe- the same one he had threatened her with months ago, he thought ironically.

"Good." She nodded, removing the axe. "Now, shall we get to Berk?"

They got onto their dragons and took off in silence.

"Why did you come to Berk?" Astrid asked suddenly.

"Hiccup suggested it. I wouldn't have suggested it myself. I promised not to approach you'll again when I last met him, and I didn't plan to."

"So how did he find you?" She asked, somewhat suspiciously.

"I never thought to ask, but I think it was my campfire. I don't think I did a good enough job of hiding it." He surmised.

"He always was the most observant of us all." She said proudly.

"And having a dragon that could see in the night must have increased that?" Viggo guessed.

"Yeah." She agreed.

"Where do we land?" He asked as they got closer to the village.

"I can see Hiccup over there. We can land near him." She replied, pointing. Hiccup was talking to two villagers, probably sorting out an argument.

"Give me a minute, Viggo." He said, glancing at them before turning back to his conversation. One of the villagers, however, swung around.

"Viggo Grimborn?! How dare you show your miserable face in this village after all you've done?" He shouted, punching him in the face. Viggo stepped back but didn't retaliate. Hiccup got between the two men.

"Sven, Viggo is here by my own invitation and under my protection. Nobody is to harm him while he is here." Hiccup commanded.

"But Chief, are you sure he won't try to attack you? He tried to kill us all." Sven protested.

"I will take full responsibility for anything he does while he's here. Now, why don't both of you build a fence between your farms so that your yaks won't go near each other's pastures?" He said, turning to the other man.

"Yes, Chief." They both said, turning and walking off, but not before Sven shot a glare at Viggo.

"Are you alright, Viggo?" Hiccup asked, looking at Viggo's bleeding nose in concern.

"I'll be fine, Hiccup." Viggo waved away Hiccup's worry. "But I think it might have been a bad idea coming here."

"When they realize that you and I are friends now they'll be less aggressive. Most of them have never met you. All they know is you made the Submaripper attack us, and that you and Krogan took the Edge from us. Now, why don't you come to my house? You can get some ice for your nose there." Hiccup said with finality.

"Alright. Come on, Lynnedslag." He said to his dragon, who was eating fish from the feeding stations and interacting with the other dragons. "Why do all the dragons do that wings-out-head-down thing near Toothless? It looks like they're bowing to him."

"They are. He's their Alpha. He fought Drago's Bewilderbeast for the position." Hiccup replied.

"So he's the King of Dragons? All the Dragon Eye lens hunts were to find a dragon you rode on throughout the quest?" Viggo asked incredulously.

"One, he wasn't King then. Two, I don't quite understand how it works. I think there may be more than one King because there was definitely a Bewilderbeast underneath Berserker Island." Hiccup admitted.

"So can your dragon use mind control on the others?" Viggo questioned curiously.

"I'm not certain. He can ask them to do what he wants them to, and they obey because he's the Alpha. That doesn't necessarily mean he can control them like Bewilderbeasts can. It's quite a mystery." Hiccup replied.

"Does the Dragon Eye not say anything about it?" Viggo asked as they entered the Chief's home.

"We destroyed both of them after the King of Dragons debacle. It would have been too dangerous if someone else got their hands on them."

"But how did you destroy them? I don't know about your one, but I was taught that the first one was made to resist all types of heat, cold, and concussive blasts. That's how it survived the volcano." Viggo argued.

"I don't know about that, but we all shot them in the air and they just shattered." Hiccup shrugged as he gave Viggo a small block of ice for his nose.

"Makes no sense, but I suppose it could happen." Viggo said doubtfully. "So you live here with your mother?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, she's visiting Berserker Island with her Stormcutter right now. She and Heather hit it off, probably because they both know a lot about living alone with nothing but dragons as company." Hiccup explained. "You can stay here for as long as you want. We have plenty of room and the best view of the village." He added.

"Thank you, Hiccup. I probably won't stay here very long. Your people may not be happy to have me around and that could reflect badly on you." Viggo said quietly.

"Actually, they have no right to be so angry with you. They used to kill dragons for years, and the other things you did were normal Viking tactics, if more ingeniously executed." Hiccup stated matter-of-factly.

"Vikings aren't exactly the most forgiving people. It's no more than I expected." Viggo shrugged slightly.

"Which side do you prefer to play on in Maces and Talons?" Hiccup asked curiously.

"I used to play as the Honourable Viking Chief when I was younger, but I often play as the Marauder Chief now. Which do you?"

"I play as the Marauder unless my opponent wants to. At first, I was forced to but I didn't want it, but later when I got the choice the Marauder seemed more appealing. Perhaps because I am never going to be a traditional Viking Chief." Hiccup explained.

"Who taught you to play?" Viggo questioned.

"I learnt from watching people at the Things I went to when I was a boy. Fishlegs used to play with me occasionally."

"So you got as good as you did without anyone teaching you?" Hiccup nodded. "I was tutored by my grandfather ever since I can remember. My father was exactly like Ryker, but my grandfather was a master strategist. He trained me in almost every way. My knowledge of dragons, of the Dragon Eye, and of Maces and Talons all came from him. In weapons and hunting, my father trained Ryker and me, but it was my grandfather who taught me how to win a Maces and Talons game both in real life and on a board." Hiccup had been moving around and getting a meal as Viggo spoke, and he now placed two plates down on the table and started eating.

"Who is leading your tribe now? You were Chief until you 'died', weren't you?" Hiccup asked as they ate.

"I was, yes. Ryker is now." Hiccup choked on his food, as Viggo looked on with some amusement.

"Alright, is it just me or did you just say that Ryker is alive? The same Ryker that was dragged into a Submaripper's whirlpool in the sea near Dragon's Edge?" He asked incredulously.

"One and the same. I'm not sure how he survived because I haven't spoken to him, but apparently, he appeared and took over the Hunters after I was 'killed' in Johann's base. I really couldn't have taken over again, considering I now have my own dragon." He glanced at Lynnedslag, who was eating with Toothless.

"Heather was a Dragon Hunter for a few weeks." Hiccup pointed out.

"She was a new addition who had ostensibly joined to be with her brother. She was not one of the most skilled Hunters, who also happened to be the Chief who had killed dragons all his life. Besides, Ryker wouldn't want to hand over his new position to the person who had tried to kill him. There was no way I was going to be able to defeat him in hólmganga, and I didn't want to. I don't have a future in killing dragons. Not anymore." Viggo said gravely.

"You could go to Berserker Island. They would probably be less prejudiced against you." Hiccup suggested.

"But would Chieftess Heather? I don't think Heather ever forgave me for telling her that I hate the use of metaphors." Viggo argued. Hiccup looked blankly at him. "That was when we first met. I took her to a cliff and said that a man never knows how far he will go until he goes to the edge and looks down. She said that she thought that metaphorically it was true. Just before the edge crumbled and she fell off." Viggo chuckled.

"So you practically pushed her off a cliff? I'm not surprised she didn't forgive you."

"I did catch her." Viggo protested. "But Heather isn't the only problem. Her brother, and especially her sister-in-law, aren't going to want me near them, either."

"What's the deal with you and Mala anyway?" Hiccup asked curiously.

"The Eruptodon. I tried to take it more than once. Naturally, she wasn't pleased." Viggo explained.

"Well, you obviously didn't succeed, seeing that it got safely to Vanaheim to spend its last days." Hiccup said playfully.

"You've been to Vanaheim?" Viggo asked, startled.

"The twins got the idea of following the Eruptodon there, and we had to follow them. It almost became our final resting place in the end, because of the Sentinels. Dagur's father died there, too." Hiccup said.

"I got the distinct impression that Dagur had killed his father before he went to war with Berk the first time?" Viggo asked.

"It turned out that Osvald the Agreeable had left Berserk and gone somewhere, after which he was shipwrecked on Vanaheim. Dagur took advantage of his disappearance to imply that he had killed his father, which made the Berserkers think he good enough to be Chief. Or rather, to make them afraid to contradict him. We found Osvald's body the second time we went to Vanaheim." Hiccup explained.

"You mentioned some Sentinels? A type of dragon?" Viggo asked.

"Blind dragons that care for dying dragons and prevent them from leaving Vanaheim. They have defences developed against almost every type of dragons. Not Night Furies though, because Vanaheim isn't the Night Fury resting place."

"But all of you got out of there twice?" Viggo asked, puzzled.

"Three times, actually. The first time, we tricked them into thinking we were one of them. The second, we helped defend the dying dragons against scavengers, so they let us go. They didn't trouble us the third time, either."

"So you and your dragons have a pass into and out of Vanaheim?"

"Yeah, but it's not really a place for humans to go to. It's a part of the dragon's world that we can't understand." Hiccup said.

"You said you defended the dying dragons against scavengers, right? Can't the Sentinels do that themselves?" Viggo questioned.

"They can't defend them all, I think. Osvald used to help them before he died, so it's possible that they got used to having a human there. We don't know. Why?"

"I was thinking that that might be another option for what I could do now. If they would allow me to leave and come in as I please, then I could come and visit you occasionally. Your friend Fishlegs would probably like to know anything I learn there." Viggo suggested.

"That's not a bad idea. Ironic, too. You spend a life time helping dragons to die, and now that you become a friend to them you still help them to die? Like I said, ironic." Hiccup said teasingly.

"You shot down a Night Fury and then you helped it get its flight back." Viggo retorted.

"And I became one of the first Vikings to ride a dragon." Hiccup shot back.

"But I think I was the first to make friends with a Skrill. But who was before you? I thought you were the first." Viggo questioned.

"My mother. She rode Cloudjumper, her Stormcutter, when I was only about 3 years old. As far as we know, she was the first."

"When will she get back from Berserker island? I'd like to meet her." Viggo asked.

"Later tonight. She may have a bit of a violent reaction when she meets you. I've heard her speak of you in none too flattering terms." Hiccup warned.

"I'll be careful." Viggo promised. "Do you usually go out again after you eat or turn in for the night?"

"I usually stay awake designing something or the other, or occasionally flying with Toothless. Maybe we could have a game of Maces and Talons?" He suggested.

"I'd like that." Viggo admitted.

They spent some time playing Maces and Talons, neither of them pulling ahead for ahead for long. After their fifth match, which Viggo won, Hiccup pressed a small button on the side of the board and a shower of sparks appeared from the victorious Viking Chief.

"You made that?" Viggo asked.

"Yeah, I thought it would make a nice end to a tight game. We should turn in now, it's getting late." Hiccup suggested.

"You're even better at this than I expected, but you still don't sacrifice your pieces." Viggo observed.

"If Maces and Talons is like real life, then I don't like to let anyone die." Hiccup answered as he showed Viggo the room next to his.

"Like I said, not ruthless enough. Goodnight, Hiccup." Viggo said as he went in.

"Goodnight, Viggo." Hiccup replied.

* * *

 **So this turned out to need three chapters. I'll probably post the last one about Wednesday.**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and please do again.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey all!  
I'm sorry I didn't update earlier, but this chapter turned out to be _much_ longer than I expected.**

 **To the guest reviewer Star: Thank you. I had meant to put in a note about the name, but I forgot. Viggo couldn't know that the axe had broken, and because it was Astrid's mother's, I think Hiccup would quite possibly have created a duplicate for Astrid. She also lost her new axe during HTTYD 2, so I thought I could stretch the canon to add that touch. It would be nice if you had an account here to chat.**

 **Now, the story.**

* * *

The next morning, Viggo was slightly apprehensive as he accompanied Hiccup to the Mead Hall for the morning meal, knowing that he would probably be met by a lot of anger when he was recognized. He wasn't wrong. Luckily, the Hall was somewhat empty when they entered it, Hiccup heading straight for the table where a brown-haired woman sat. As they got closer, Viggo could see that she looked rather like Hiccup.

"Is that your mother?" He asked Hiccup.

"Yes. She must have got here just a few minutes ago," He said as they reached the table. "Hi, Mom. How was your trip?" He greeted her.

"Morning, son. It was good. Heather and I had a really great time. But who's this?" She asked, staring at Viggo for a moment before bolting to her feet. Hiccup hastily got between them, not wanting a re-enactment of the previous day.

"Mom, wait! He's changed! Can you sit down again, please? Both of you," He added, turning to Viggo.

"Hiccup, this man has killed countless dragons and enslaved many others! Why did you bring him here, where he could harm so many?" Valka asked, not taking her eyes off Viggo.

"Mom, he's changed now. He rides a dragon. He's managed to bond with a dragon that trusts almost no-one. He's not the only dragon killer who's changed, remember?" Hiccup asked, almost frantically.

Valka relaxed slightly. "Are you sure, son?" She asked worriedly.

"Yes, Mom. He's changed now, I'm sure of it. Can you at least not attack him while he's here?" Hiccup pleaded.

"Alright, son. Just be careful," Valka sighed.

"Yes, Mom. Now, shall we do this properly? Mom, Viggo Grimborn. Viggo, my mother Valka," He introduced. Viggo was looking at Valka, puzzled.

"Have we met before? I think you recognized me from before I got injured, but I don't remember you," He asked.

"I wore a mask whenever I flew. I think I met you about ten years ago when I freed a huge shipment of dragons that you were taking to a Dragon Trapper base that I knew of," Valka explained guardedly.

"I think I remember. You wore a blue mask with some sort of horns. My crew thought you were a devil," Viggo said slowly.

Just then, Fishlegs entered the hall and looked around. Hiccup saw him start walking towards the table before suddenly stopping and then increasing his pace noticeably. "Fishlegs has seen you," He warned Viggo quietly.

"Viggo? Why are you here? How are you alive?" Fishlegs asked as he reached the table. Hiccup noted thankfully that there was less anger and more curiosity in his question.

"I asked him to come. We met yesterday when I was out flying, and we were talking," Hiccup explained.

"So the Skrill outside is yours? I was just coming to ask Hiccup about it," Fishlegs asked.

"Yes, his name is Lynnedslag. He was the Skrill who helped Hiccup and I get into Johann's base- and back out of it," Viggo replied.

"How did you train him? Skrills are among the hardest dragons to train; they almost never trust people," Fishlegs gabbled excitedly, in what Hiccup called his 'new-dragon mode'.

"I attracted him with a metal dagger, which also stopped him from killing me, but I think we bonded when I freed him in Johann's cave. He stayed with me after Hiccup left, and he was the one who managed to get me out of Johann's base alive," Viggo summarized.

"So are you going to be here long? We'll finally be able to get more information on Skrills! Most of what we know now is from the Dragon Eye," Fishlegs said, still excited.

"I'll probably be leaving tomorrow, perhaps to Vanaheim," Viggo replied.

"Vanaheim? Why would you go there?" Fishlegs asked, slightly suspicious.

"I told him about Osvald, and he thought of going there to help against the Grim Gnashers," Hiccup interjected.

"Hiccup, you can't be serious! He's planning to do something like steal the skins or bones from the dragon tombs there! I knew you couldn't trust him!" Valka said, jumping up again and moving between Viggo and the door of the Mead Hall. The other people eating looked up.

"Viggo?" Hiccup asked uncertainly.

"I wasn't planning to do that, Hiccup. From what you say about the Sentinels, they would definitely kill me if I tried anything like that," Viggo said quietly, looking directly at Hiccup.

Hiccup sighed. "I'm not sure I can believe you, Viggo. You could just be tricking me. Thor knows you've done it before".

"Then believe the dragons. You say that Skrills are hard to earn the trust of. Would Lynnedslag trust me if he thought I would harm him or other dragons? I didn't even know that you had been to Vanaheim until last night. I'm not lying to you, Hiccup," Viggo said convincingly.

Hiccup scrutinized him thoughtfully. "No, I don't think you are. You're right. Mum, it's fine. Leave him be," He said, turning to Valka. Valka sat down reluctantly. "If you're done, Viggo, we should head out now. I need to speak to Gobber and Astrid."

They left the Mead Hall and headed towards the forge, where they found the twins arguing with Gobber. Suddenly, Hiccup was filled with a wicked urge to trick the twins. He pulled Inferno out and handed it Viggo.

"Quick. Light it and keep it in a non-threatening position," He whispered. Viggo looked mystified but did so anyway, wondering what Hiccup was doing now.

The twins turned around as he walked up, then looked at Viggo open-mouthed. "Uh, Hiccup? You do realize that Viggo- the man we all thought was dead- is right behind you with a lighted sword?" Tuffnut asked.

Hiccup winked at Gobber to let him know that there was no problem before speaking to Tuff. "Yeah, why?" He asked innocently.

This time it was Ruffnut who spoke. "Viggo? You know, the guy who's tried to kill each of us multiple times? Dragon Hunter? That Viggo?"

"I know who Viggo is, Ruff. What's wrong?" Hiccup asked impatiently, acting exactly as if Viggo had never been his mortal enemy.

"What's he doing here? Anyway, wasn't he meant to be dead?" Tuffnut asked, also impatient.

"I met him yesterday and invited him here. Don't worry, he isn't trying to kill us anymore," Hiccup said, dropping his act.

"Wait, so he's our friend now? This is too confusing," Tuffnut said. "Do you understand what's going on, sis?"

"Not a word, brother," Ruffnut said before butting heads with him, causing both of them to fall down.

"Now that those two idiots are out, will ye tell me wha's goin' on, 'Iccup?" Gobber asked.

"Who are you calling an idiot?" Tuffnut groaned, lifting his head up momentarily before falling down again.

"Like I said, I asked him to come," Hiccup said, reaching out a hand for Inferno, which Viggo passed back. "And yes, I'm sure," He said as Gobber started to speak.

"So 'ow long will ye be stayin'?" Gobber asked Viggo.

"I'll probably be leaving tomorrow," Viggo replied, slightly startled that Gobber was accepting him so easily.

Gobber nodded, then turned to Hiccup. "So what brings ye 'ere today?"

"I came to check over what happened yesterday. Were there any major problems?" Hiccup asked, and the conversation turned to village matters, Viggo listening with half an ear.

After a few minutes, Hiccup turned to Viggo. "Would you like to go to the Dragon Training ring? Astrid should be there, so you'll be fine," He suggested, pointing out the Academy.

Viggo flew to the arena, where a group of children holding brooms were listening to Astrid. She looked up as Lynnedslag cast a shadow over them and waved him down to land.

"Do any of you know what dragon this is?" She asked the children. One of them put up his hand. "Yes, Henhorns?" Astrid asked him.

"It's a Skrill! Strike Class dragons that can redirect lightning and are very hard to train," He gabbled.

"An Ingerman?" Viggo asked Astrid quietly.

She nodded slightly, then spoke to the boy. "Correct! And why are they so hard to train?"

"They don't trust people easily, often because of bad experiences," Henhorns replied. "How did he train it?" He asked.

Viggo smiled. "I rescued him from Dragon Hunters," He said.

"But my Daddy says you are a Dragon Hunter," Henhorns argued.

"Henhorns!" Astrid interjected sharply. "He's not a Dragon Hunter anymore. He's a friend now," Viggo sent her a surprised but grateful look.

"Sorry, Astrid," The teenager said, dropping to the floor and starting to do rapid push-ups. Astrid shot a fierce look at Viggo, daring him to comment. She continued the lesson, Henhorns joining in again after about twenty push-ups. Viggo watched interestedly as the children 'rode' their brooms around the ring, then started practicing with axes against targets.

After a little while, Snotlout came flying into the arena on Hookfang. He stopped in front of Astrid. "Astrid, Hiccup asked me to give you a mess… What's he doing here? He's dead, right?"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "No, Snotlout, he is not dead. He couldn't be standing there if he's dead, could he?" She asked sarcastically. "And the Chief asked him to come here yesterday,"

"But the Chief's dead too! He died two months ago, remember?" Snotlout asked. Viggo felt like face-palming but resisted, wanting to watch Astrid's reaction.

"Snotlout! Hiccup is Chief now!" She groaned, looking as if she was about to smash Snotlout's face in. "What did he want you to tell me?"

"He said that there's a Council meeting in the Mead Hall now and that I'm meant to entertain your guest while you're there. Where is this guest of yours, anyway?" He asked, looking around.

"He meant Viggo. I almost feel sorry for him, being entertained by you," She muttered under her breath. "Alright, we'll finish this lesson tomorrow morning," She said loudly, and the children started trooping out of the arena with their broomsticks.

"I'm meant to stay with Viggo then? Even though he's meant to be dead?" Snotlout asked.

"He isn't dead, Snotlout! We just thought he was. Now I need to go. Viggo, try not to kill Snotlout. I'll probably see you around sometime," She said before leaving with Stormfly.

"So didn't Johann kill you? Before we killed him, I mean," Snotlout asked Viggo. "And is that Skrill yours?"

"No to Johann. Yes, I escaped with the Skrill, who is mine. His name is Lynnedslag," Viggo explained.

"Lynnedslag? Cool name, but he's not as cool as Hookfang. I mean, your dragon can't set himself on fire, can he?" Snotlout asked.

"No, but he can do this," Viggo said, gesturing at Lynnedslag, who charged his scales up with lightning.

"So he can basically do the same things with lightning that Hookie can with fire? Fire is way cooler than lightning, and I bet you can't collect gel from his skin that makes lightning," Snotlout boasted.

"I wasn't saying that my dragon is better than yours, Snotlout," Viggo said, raising his hands in a placating manner.

"So, where do you want to go? Hey, do the twins know that you aren't dead? And are you still trying to kill us?" Snotlout asked.

"I saw the twins earlier, so yes they know I'm alive, and no, I'm not trying to kill any of you. Or your dragons," Viggo replied.

"What happened? I mean, people don't just stop attacking their sworn lifelong enemies, do they?" Snotlout asked.

"A Monstrous Nightmare saved me from a cave-in that Johann and Krogan had ordered. Along with everything Hiccup had said, that changed my mind about dragons," Viggo explained.

"So your friends tried to kill you and your enemy saved you? You really need to make better choices."

"I did, afterwards. I got myself a really nice dragon, too," Viggo said.

"Can he fly as fast as Hookfang? 'Cos I don't want to have to go slow," Snotlout said.

"I think he can beat Hookfang in a race," Viggo said, smiling slightly as he remembered racing Toothless.

"I'll show you how wrong you are if you come down to the sea stacks," Snotlout offered boastfully.

"I think you'll find that I'm right," Viggo said, mounting Lynnedslag.

"Hookfang beats Stormfly sometimes in our races, so I think he could beat you," Snotlout argued.

"We'll see. So what do you do now that you haven't got anyone to fight?" Viggo asked.

"I do a lot of training with the A-Team now that Astrid is focused on training new Riders, and I'm getting ready to be Hiccup's second-in-command like my Dad was the Chief's," Snotlout said.

"You know, Hiccup is the Chief now. You should probably get used to that being his title," Viggo suggested.

Snotlout frowned. "But Hiccup asked us not to call him that," He protested.

"He asked you Riders not to call him Chief?" Viggo checked. Snotlout nodded. "But the rest of the village calls him that, don't they?"

"Most of the time," Snotlout admitted.

"And then you think of Hiccup's father?" Viggo asked. The younger man nodded again. "You should be careful. I think Astrid wants to hit you for that."

"You mean because I think she's talking about the Chief and not Hiccup? She usually just puts on a really funny face like she's eaten a piece of Stormfly's fish," Snotlout said.

"You know that means she's really annoyed? Hiccup's going to marry her someday, and she definitely doesn't like it when you don't acknowledge that he's Berk's Chief now," Viggo said seriously.

"Why are you even telling me this? Nobody's seen you since before he became Chief. You can't understand what's happening," Snotlout argued.

"I know more about Berk's affairs than you might think, and I was the Chief of my own tribe. Believe me, I understand what's happening here," Viggo replied calmly. "For one thing, I think your father is involved somehow."

Snotlout looked up sharply. "How did you know?" He demanded aggressively.

"As I said, I know a lot about Berk, and that includes some knowledge about your relationship with your father," Viggo said.

"Did you have people spying on us?" Snotlout asked suspiciously.

"I didn't need them. I worked for Johann for some time, and he let out a lot of small pieces of information, probably unintentionally. Pieced together, I got a lot of information about the individual people in Berk," the former Dragon Hunter explained.

"If you're so smart, then tell me why I don't associate 'Chief' with 'Hiccup'," Snotlout challenged.

"I don't know exactly, but it's probably something from a long time ago, long before Hiccup became Chief," Viggo hazarded.

"You aren't meant to know so much about it. Even Hiccup doesn't do that," Snotlout protested. "Anyway, we're near the best part of the sea stacks for a race, and Hookfang and I are going to kick your butts," He said, patting his Monstrous Nightmare's head. Hookfang rolled his eyes, knowing Lynnedslag was going to beat him.

"If you want to talk about any of it, I'd be happy to. Now, what route do we race on?" Viggo asked.

"We can start over there and finish there," Snotlout pointed at the marks from previous races.

"Do you have a lot of races here?" Viggo asked.

"Not really, we usually have races with sheep. You'll probably see if you stay here long enough," Snotlout explained vaguely.

When they started racing, Viggo didn't try to win completely, staying very slightly ahead of Snotlout without actually pushing ahead of him. Hookfang tried to overtake them but the Skrill quickened slightly, effectively preventing the Nightmare from managing to overtake. Viggo stopped Lynnedslag just as they were about to cross the finish line, allowing Snotlout to win on Hookfang.

Snotlout stared at him for a few moments before speaking. "Why did you do that?" He asked curiously. Hookfang looked just as confused.

"There was no reason for me to do otherwise. We both knew I was going to win, so I had nothing to prove. If anyone asks what we did, you can say you won. I know what Lynnedslag can do, and what he can't; you can't be certain if any new dragons can beat Hookfang in a race," Viggo replied.

Snotlout looked down at Hookfang's head. "Hiccup did the same once, at our Thawfest games. We were in a tie-breaker, and I had a massive head-start in the dragon race part because of the running and climbing we had done first. He and Toothless caught up with us and he overtook for a split second before he crashed. I only realized much later that he had done it on purpose, and when I won I treated him like yak dung," He said, looking ashamed.

"He probably didn't mean for you to realize what he had done. You would have hated to feel that you only won because he let you, wouldn't you?" Viggo said, pulling Snotlout up short.

"I'd have been really annoyed, and if Dad knew, he would have been absolutely furious," He admitted.

"Then you don't have to tear yourself up over it. You could apologize to Hiccup if you want to. He probably hasn't thought about it for a long time," Viggo advised.

"Why are you even trying to help me?" Snotlout asked suspiciously.

"You're one of the few people currently alive who don't appear to want to harm me. I don't want that to change," Viggo said, slightly nonchalant.

"Are you that unpopular?" Snotlout questioned.

"It's what happens when you change from one side of a war to the other. Your former allies want to kill you for changing sides and your former enemies don't trust that you've changed. The people in between generally suspect that you're tricking them, too," Viggo said sadly.

"I don't think anybody trusted you further than they could throw you, even before this all happened," Snotlout argued.

"Ryker and the other Dragon Hunters did, or they wouldn't have kept me as Chief," Viggo contradicted.

"And most of them can't trust anyone anymore because they're dead- including Ryker, who you pretty much killed."

"Ryker isn't dead, as far as I know," Viggo said, surprising Snotlout.

"Is anyone we thought dead actually dead?" He asked, groaning slightly.

"It is possible, if unlikely, that Krogan is alive…" Viggo said thoughtfully.

"Eret did say Drago had him executed," Snotlout protested.

"He could have survived somehow, but there is no reason to worry about it, considering how unlikely it would be for someone to escape Drago," Viggo said reassuringly.

"Drago was a murderer," Snotlout said angrily.

"A very ambitious murderer," Viggo said. "Who isn't dead."

"Wait, do you mean he's going to come back and attack us?" Snotlout asked, alarmed.

"You stopped his plans of ruling the whole of the known world and beyond. Do you think he's going to forget that?" Viggo asked sensibly.

"When you put it like that, no," Snotlout gulped. "But why isn't Hiccup doing anything about it?"

"Knowing him, he has a master plan for when that happens. He's defeated every enemy he ever had, and I don't think Drago is going to change that," Viggo said calmly.

"Actually, he didn't defeat most of his enemies, they just aren't fighting him anymore," Snotlout pointed out.

"It really comes to the same thing. Nobody has ever defeated him in a war, have they?" Viggo retorted.

"We wouldn't be here if they had," Snotlout agreed. "But have you ever lost a war?"

"I went from the Chief of one of the most powerful tribes anywhere around to someone who lives on a small island with only a dragon for company. Does that answer your question?" Viggo asked.

"But before you met us?" Snotlout pressed.

"No," Viggo admitted. "Hiccup was the first person to defeat me if making me change sides counts as a defeat,"

"So if Hiccup defeated you when nobody else ever had, what's to say that Drago can't defeat him?" Snotlout asked worriedly.

"There isn't really anything anyone can do except trust him and make sure that you're ready to fight. Worrying the other villagers won't help either," Viggo cautioned.

Snotlout nodded. "I guess that makes sense. We should probably go back now. We've been here for some time," He said quietly. They turned around and flew back towards Berk.

"Are you going to stay on Berk?" Snotlout asked suddenly.

"Probably not. I might go to Dragon's Edge or Vanaheim to help the dragons there," the former Hunter replied.

"Are you going to hunt them? There are a lot of vulnerable dragons on the Edge," Snotlout said, eyes narrowing.

"No, I don't want to hurt dragons anymore. Not now that I have Lynnedslag," Viggo said sincerely, patting Lynnedslag's head.

"Did you say Vanaheim? 'Cos Hiccup said that we weren't supposed to go there unless there's someone else there."

"He agreed that it might work. He said there are some dragons that attack injured ones?" Viggo asked.

"Yeah, I remember them talking about it afterwards. Dagur's father used to fight them," Snotlout said vaguely.

"Hiccup said something about that," Viggo said, lapsing into silence.

When they got back to the village, they found Hiccup talking to some villagers near the Mead Hall, in much the same scenario as Viggo had entered Berk to the night before. He nodded to Viggo and Snotlout before continuing his conversation.

"He'll come over here once he's done with Ack and Jusken," Snotlout explained.

"He can't just interrupt his chiefing to speak to us. I understand," Viggo nodded.

As Snotlout predicted, Hiccup walked towards them when he finished talking to the villagers, who went into the Mead Hall. "Did you have a good time? You've been gone for quite a while," He asked by way of greeting.

"Yes, we raced a little and talked a lot," Viggo replied.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow but made no comment. "I take it you didn't try to kill each other?" He asked instead.

"You didn't kill him yesterday," Snotlout pointed out.

"Oh, he came pretty close," Viggo answered before Hiccup could speak.

"Snotlout, can I have a word with you?" Hiccup interjected. "Please give us a minute, Viggo," He said before moving out of earshot with his cousin.

"Snotlout, you know the council meeting I had earlier? It was about Viggo. The other council members agreed that it should be alright if he stays here for a short while, but one of the Riders should be with him all the time. I'll probably be with him for most of the afternoon, but in the evening, I've got to speak to Dagur and Mala. You seem to be getting on pretty well with him, so do you think you can stay with him? I'm not sure if you've got other plans," Hiccup explained quickly and quietly.

"Sure. He's pretty interesting," Snotlout agreed.

Hiccup looked relieved. "Thanks 'Lout. I owe you one. I didn't want to have to put him with the Twins," He said gratefully. They walked back to Viggo, Hiccup looking considerably more light-hearted than he had previously. "Sorry about that, Viggo," He apologized.

"Not at all, I know what it's like to not have enough of you to go around," Viggo replied.

"It helps to ride a dragon, you can get from one place to another much faster," Hiccup answered. "I can't imagine what it must have been like for my dad when he hadn't got Thornado."

"Thornado? Odd name for a Rumblehorn," Viggo observed.

"Thornado was a Thunderdrum, Dad's first dragon. He had to leave him on Dragon Island with some baby Thunderdums. He only got Skullcrusher about three years after that," Hiccup explained.

"So he didn't have a dragon for three years? That sounds rather unusual if he had experienced having a dragon to help him as Chief."

"None of the other dragons caught his eye like Thornado and Skullcrusher. It's all about finding the right dragon," Hiccup replied.

"And he probably was hoping he could get Thornado back sometime," Snotlout interjected. "I wouldn't like to have a new dragon if Hookfang was still around."

"Even if he regularly sets you on fire?" Hiccup asked, raising his eyebrows.

"He doesn't really mean it, do you, Hookie?" Snotlout asked, patting his Nightmare's flank. Hookfang snorted.

"I would hate to have to replace Toothless," Hiccup admitted.

"I don't know what I'd do without Lynnedslag now," Viggo chimed in. "Living alone with him for months means I've formed a really close bond with him."

"I think every Rider feels that way about their dragons," Hiccup surmised.

"I'm not really a Rider though," Viggo pointed out. "I mean, I ride a dragon, but I'm not one of the Dragon Riders. One of you."

"What makes a Dragon Rider a Dragon Rider?" Snotlout asked. "Heather rode Windshear for ages before she became a Dragon Rider, right?"

"I guess it's about what we've been through together, and the fact that we would do anything to save each other," Hiccup said thoughtfully. "Astrid called the A-team Dragon Riders after they helped us fight Dagur, and Heather became a full-blown Rider after she helped us and the Nadders against the Hunters."

"But we had asked her to become one of us before that," Snotlout argued.

"True, but she had fought with us before. We fought against Alvin, Dagur, and Viggo together- no offence- and she had been spying for us as well, remember?" Hiccup contended.

"But if fighting together on dragons means someone is a Dragon Rider, you said Viggo and Lynnedslag fought with you against Johann," Snotlout pointed out. "Dagur and Mala would be Riders too."

"Mala doesn't have her own dragon, so I don't think she counts. Dagur never had the time to be one, and we thought Viggo was dead, so he couldn't have been one," Hiccup argued.

"I don't think I've really done enough to be a Rider," Viggo interjected. "The one friendly thing I did for you'll was hold off the Dragon Hunters in Johann's cave- and even then, I was almost dead anyway."

"Dagur saved my life once before I was willing to give him a dragon," Hiccup stated.

"But you didn't want him to be on the Edge," Snotlout argued.

"That was because of Heather. She was a Rider then, and I had to put her above Dagur," Hiccup explained. "But yeah, I'm not sure I would have let him stay anyway," He admitted.

"But you invited me here?" Viggo asked curiously.

"I felt like I could trust you," Hiccup said. "Like you said, Lynnedslag trusted you completely, and Toothless accepted you. He was more relaxed around you than usual. Maybe Lynnedslag convinced him that you had changed."

"I owe him a lot. I sometimes feel as if I'm taking from him but not giving anything back," Viggo said.

"I know what you mean," Hiccup admitted. "But I think we must give them something, or they wouldn't stay with us. Perhaps it's the companionship."

"Maybe you're right," Viggo acknowledged.

"I really should be checking on the other side of the village," Hiccup said suddenly. "I didn't realize we'd been talking so long."

"My Dad will be waiting for me, too," Snotlout realized. "I'll see you'll later," He said, mounting Hookfang and flying quickly towards his house.

"Shall we go too?" Hiccup asked Viggo, getting onto Toothless as he spoke.

"You said the other side? How big is it?" Viggo asked as they took off.

"It's pretty big now that we don't have to deal with dragon raids. Berk's come a long way since we befriended dragons," Hiccup replied.

"The raids must have taken a lot of food and materials," Viggo observed.

"They did. We've been able to expand a lot, both in population and in size, since then. We're thriving now, especially since the dragons can help us in our daily work like cutting trees and fishing," Hiccup explained.

"Timberjacks and Thunderdrums?" Viggo asked.

"Most dragons can help with the fishing, but Timberjacks are the best choice for woodcutting. The farmers do well too, especially because of the amount of easy fertilizer they can get."

"So dragons do a lot of the manual work then?"

"Yeah, they're much stronger and better adapted to the jobs we ask them to do. It works well for everyone."

"An utopia?"

"Not quite," Hiccup said quietly.

"What's wrong?" Viggo asked, concerned. Lynnedslag side-slipped slightly towards Toothless, bringing the two riders closer together.

"I wish Dad was here," Hiccup replied quietly. "He was much better as Chief than I'll ever be,"

"I felt the same when I first became Chief. You might not be the same type of chief as your father was, but you do just as well in different ways," Viggo said reassuringly. "Your own successor will probably feel the same way, but the people of Berk probably won't feel a steady decline. I didn't know your father, but I think he would be proud of you."

"Thanks," Hiccup said softly. "That means a lot to me,"

"Anytime," Viggo replied sincerely.

"Viggo?" Hiccup said after some time.

"Yes, Hiccup?" Viggo replied questioningly.

"Was the Submaripper incident your backup plan when the bounty failed?" Hiccup asked curiously.

"No, not exactly. When my plan failed, I got frustrated, and then when you and the other Riders were causing so many disruptions to my operations… something snapped. I hadn't particularly wanted to hurt you before, but I started wanting to really kill you. The shipyard trap was part of that, and Dagur saving you from it only made me angrier with you. Ryker was starting to rebel, and that didn't help matters. I started losing control over everything, including myself. If it hadn't been for having the safety net of Project Shellfire, I might even have gone crazy like Dagur did with his obsession over you." Viggo said with feeling.

Hiccup spoke again after a long moment. "I think I lost that piece of control when we first met. For months, I practically worked myself into the ground trying to find you. Then I met Dagur on that island. Strange as it may seem, his crazy talk made me re-evaluate what I was doing slightly. I wasn't quite as intent on revenge as I was before, but I was still completely different from what I used to be. It was like that for some time, even after the Buffalord incident. Then the auction happened, and then you tricked me over the Eruptodon, and then the shipyard… The Submaripper incident was simply the clincher. If I hadn't had my Dad and the other Riders, and Toothless, I would probably have gone over the brink. Maybe I would have made one last attempt to kill you and killed myself in the process. As it was, I managed to keep hold of myself until Shellfire." He finished.

"When I had to destroy the Shellfire, and as I thought, Ryker with it, I completely broke, I think," Viggo replied. "It's what made me try that last-ditch attempt to get back what I had given for no benefit. I lost everything that day, and I didn't succeed in my goal of destroying you. I got out of that volcano and off the Edge only because of my determination to have another crack at killing you. Finding out that Krogan, of all people, had taken away my tribe meant that I blamed you even more. The irony was that you had done to me everything I had wanted to do to you, except killing me."

Hiccup had slowed down to make sure they wouldn't go too far while talking.

"I didn't think much about what happened then, mainly because it was too painful. I felt even angrier with you after you threatened Astrid, but I felt slightly sorry that you had died in the volcano, as I thought. I wasn't even sure why I felt bad about it because I know I would have killed you myself if you hadn't fallen in," He said quietly. "I cooled off about you slightly when I found out that Johann had betrayed us; he was so much worse. I always knew you were my enemy and out to manipulate and kill me, but Johann had tricked me into going to almost certain death so many times, and I never knew it."

"I only joined Johann and Krogan because of you. Johann had always been an informant on some of your actions, but I never really trusted him, and he was never my superior until after Krogan took over the Hunters. The only thing Krogan and I saw eye-to-eye over was hating you. That was probably why we could never defeat you; you and your friends were always on the same page where attacking us was concerned," Viggo explained.

"We did everything together for years," Hiccup shrugged. "We often did argue, but we never split. You and Krogan were too different; like you said, you only agreed that I needed to go."

"Somehow, I'm not too sad about not being able to defeat you," Viggo said, lightening the mood.

"Oddly enough, neither am I," Hiccup retorted, and they both laughed. He pointed at one of the further fields. "We need to land in that farm over there."

"You have a lot of yak farms here, don't you?" Viggo asked as they landed.

"Yeah, they seem to thrive living this far north," Hiccup replied before speaking to the farmer. "Gobber said you had some trouble yesterday?"

The Hooligan replied respectfully, Viggo increasingly admiring Hiccup's handling of situations as the afternoon progressed.

A few hours later, Hiccup landed in front of the Mead Hall, closely followed by Viggo.

"I'm sorry about today, Viggo," Hiccup apologized as they dismounted. "I know that flying around for hours listening to boring conversations isn't the best way for you to spend your day."

"Hiccup, I've spent the past two months living on a small island with a dragon. Almost anything is a change from that. Not that I don't like your company, boy," He added, patting Lynnedslag. The Skrill purred. "I've actually enjoyed watching you play the role of a Chief."

* * *

 **The next chapter will probably be the last, but I'm not sure how it'll work out. Again, sorry about the delay.**

 **Thanks to Draconicbeing2.0 for beta-ing this chapter.**


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